An Inkling of an Imprint?
by Love's-Sweet-Exile
Summary: Leah is sick of being the girl wolf, who can only dream of an imprint. So, she decides to start dating, and chooses Jacob Black as her first attempt! Can a bit of fun turn into something much more, and can true love eliminate the power of Jacob's imprint?
1. Chapter 1

Leah Clearwater is sick of being the she-wolf, sick of waiting to imprint – if it's even possible for females. So, she decides to start dating, and chooses Jacob Black to be her first attempt. Can a bit of fun turn into something much more, and can true love eliminate the power of Jacob's imprint? Possible rating change to M in later chapters!

PLEASE read and review, as I'm not sure about this story yet, and would like to know whether you guys think it worth carrying on with!

Chapter 1

**Leah POV**

It was midnight, and there were just four of us around the campfire on La Push beach. Myself, Seth, Embry and Brady. The others were mostly with their imprintees – Sam and Emily, Jacob and Renesmee, Jared and Kim, Quil and Claire... even Paul had supposedly imprinted on Jacob's _sister_, Rachel, though none of us were completely sure if he had made it up.

'Look at us,' Seth muttered, and Embry snorted in agreement. 'Four of us left who haven't imprinted... except the kids, of course,' he said, with an apologetic look at Brady.

'I don't think I _want_ to imprint!' Brady answered coolly, 'I mean, look at how much Jacob's imprint got us in to! And I don't wanna have to wait for years like Quil. And I _especially_ wouldn't want to do what Sam did!' Embry and Seth shot me furtive glances, and I swallowed, my jaw clenched. 'I meant about Emily's...you know... scars!' He explained quickly, looking horrified.

'What about you, Lee?' Embry asked, though I could hear a slightly sarcastic tone to his voice, and I had to press my fingernails hard into my palms as my fingers curled up.

'I don't care,' I said as indifferently as I could, 'I'm quite happy on my own.'

'Well that's good then,' Seth smiled. 'I mean... we don't even know if girl werewolves even can, I mean, maybe you're just an anomaly to the whole wolf thing.'

'Maybe you got to be a wolf because you're so much like a man!' Brady giggled. I hit him hard on the shoulder. 'I only meant... you know... you haven't got your... woman thing...'

I gulped and tensed my whole body – my "woman thing" was an area that no one dared go; I was just a late developer... that was all (though I knew deep down that being a werewolf had ruined my chances of ever becoming a mother).

'Besides,' Seth grinned, 'it's not like you're getting many offers.'

Though I knew he had only said it in a brotherly, joking way, I started to shake with anger. 'Will you all just _shut up_!' I shouted, though I felt tears in my eyes. 'I _hate_ you – don't you give a _damn_ about _anyone's_ feelings?'

'Calm down, Lee!' Seth said, sounding surprised.

'I'll calm down when you grow up!' I snarled back, turning away and walking away from the fire.

'Come back, Leah!' Embry groaned, 'we'll look even more like loners if there are only three of us!'

'Leave me alone!' I growled, trying to keep my emotions from turning me wolfy. I leant against a brick wall the second I was back amongst houses, and placed my hands on my knees to calm myself down.

I felt the tears spill over, and slowly slid down the wall to the floor. Wiping my eyes violently and cursing myself, I rested my head back against the wall; though an icy breeze was blowing, I was so hot that I had to wrench off my lumberjack shirt, leaving me in just a dark green vest. Inhaling sharply as I cried, I caught the scent of another werewolf – the last werewolf I wanted to see.

'What's wrong, Lee?' Sam asked, his footsteps loud on the ground.

'Nothing!' I said shakily, 'just...taking a little rest down here is all!'

'You were crying,' he said sceptically, walking over and kneeling down beside me.

'What?' I laughed, though my breath caught and my voice rang high pitched, 'I think I'm coming down with a cold, is all, nose running... y'know?'

'You never were able to lie to me, Lee-Lee,' he smiled sadly.

'SHUT UP!' I sobbed, 'don't call me that! Don't even talk to me! Why can't you idiots get it into your thick _fur_ that I don't _want _to speak to you?' I stood up, trembling slightly, and stalked away. Though I heard him call after me, I did not turn around, and I followed my feet to the forest edge, where I would be able to phase. Sam had been covered in my cousin's scent.

I awoke with the sun shining for once. The earth beneath me was wet with dew, and I could feel a soft cover over my body. I blinked my eyes open, and squinted at the blanket that had been thrown over me; as far as I could remember, I hate been running at full speed all night, but had fallen asleep near Forks on the way home.

Sitting up, careful to hold the blanket around myself, I looked around and spotted a pile of freshly cleaned clothes on a fallen tree nearby. Confused, I crawl-stumbled over to them, and sniffed slowly. Sam's scent intoxicated my nose, and I couldn't help but inhale deeply, stroking the soft fabric of the shirt and picking it up. I squinted around at the trees before dropping the blanket, though in theory I had given up on privacy long ago, and slid the shirt around my shoulders. I pulled on the three quarter length cotton pants as well, though I was slightly reluctant to wear clothes from Sam – they had probably once belonged to Emily.

I still remembered the day my heart broke...

Sam had been around mine, and we'd been sitting together on the chapped black leather sofa, exchanging the same light jokes that we always told. I knew that Emily was coming to visit, and I was excited to introduce her to Sam! We exchanged a soft kiss on the sofa when we heard the doorbell ring, before standing up and walking out into the corridor. My dad opened the door, and Emily walked in.

And I saw it... I saw the love leave Sam's eyes as he turned to her. A new light lit them – a violent burning passion, and in that split second everything hurt, and I knew I had lost him forever.

The memory almost made me cry again, and I wondered what state my eyeliner was in – I was never vain, but make-up did make me feel better. It had been a long time since I had cried – I was usually much better at retaliating... making the other wolves hurt.... but sometimes it was all too much.

'Leah!' I heard the voice say, as I reached the outskirts of the forest and headed towards the town.

'Hey, Jake,' I smiled weakly, waving.

'Yo,' he grinned, hurrying over and starting to walk with me. 'How was the bonfire?'

'Crappy,' I rolled my eyes. 'There were only four of us there! I can't believe you abandoned us like that,' I added reproachfully.

'Sorry,' he shrugged sympathetically, 'we took Nessie hunting then had dinner at the Cullens'.'

'_Dinner_?' I raised my eyebrows – after the whole Volturi thing was over, I was happy to go back to hating the vampires again.

'Me and Nessie both eat some normal food,' he said reproachfully, 'Nessie likes hunting early evening, then having a human meal at about midnight. Then sleep,' he smiled.

'Meh,' I muttered, 'didn't she get _any_ of the benefits of vampirism? Has to suck blood and be all gross, but still has to sleep and eat normal food!'

'She'll live forever,' Jake grinned, 'and while the Cullens still live here, we will too.'

'Speak for yourself,' I said quickly, 'the second I can, I'm getting out of this shape-shifting thing and seeing if it's not too late for me to...you know.'

'Parenthood is overrated,' Jacob sighed, putting his arm around my shoulders sympathetically. I shrugged it off with narrowed eyes, and answered "oh, did _Bella_ tell you that?"

'Yeah,' he looked slightly confused by my cold expression and tone.

'Do you still love her?' I asked abruptly, stopping my walk and turning to him.

'What?'

'Oh come on, Jacob, you can tell me.'

'No, of course not! I... well... you know I still _like _her... but not... you know... how I used to... and it's beside the point... I - '

'You do!' I said with a triumphantly beaming smile. 'You can love someone after you've imprinted! So Sam was lying all the time after all – he _could_ have stayed with me, he just _chose_ her!'

'Leah... it's not exactly like that,' he grimaced.

'Oh be quiet, Jake!' I growled. I went to stride away, but then I caught his eye, and found myself narrowing mine as a thought entered my mind. Jake was handsome in a strange sort of way... and he was a wolf too.... and he looked perfectly happy to love someone even after he'd imprinted... and I wouldn't have to imprint and go all creepy and obsessive... a notion was forming, and I grinned widely. 'Hey, Jake,' I turned as I walked away, 'wanna go see a movie later?'

'Er... yeah, sure,' he shrugged.

'I'll see you then,' I had never felt such elation in my body – I had a _date_.

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	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

**Leah POV**

I was leaning against the outside wall of the movie theatre, repetitively sucking a heart shaped red lolli-pop to try and calm myself down; what if Jacob didn't show? No, he wouldn't stand me up, he was nicer than that!

'Hey, Lee!' He called, and I sighed with relief, turning to see him walking towards me. He was wearing a tight fitting gray tee, with black denim jeans and raggedy sandals. Several girls around were eyeing him up obviously, and looking at me jealously – oh if _only_ they knew! Knew that he was a werewolf.... _and_ that he wasn't _really_ going out with me, it was more of a sympathy gig.

'Hey, Jake,' I smiled, as he reached me and hugged me awkwardly, clearly unsure of what the occasion was really for. I hugged him back encouragingly, smirking at some of the girls over his shoulder, unable to resist.

'What do you wanna see?' He asked when they broke apart, looking up at the listing. '_Death is Passion_? God, that sounds depressing! Er..._L-O-V-E, That's the Way it's Not Meant to Be_? I hate films at the minute.'

'What about _Cafe Love_? I heard it's quite funny.'

'_You_, Leah Clearwater, want to see a Rom Com?'

'Sure, why not? You game?'

'Yeah, I guess,' he shrugged, laughing. 'Don't worry, I'll pay!' He added when I took out my wallet. 'What do you want to eat?' He asked when we were inside, and amongst the crowd of excited teenagers.

'Extra large toffee popcorn!' I said loudly, over the din, and he pushed his way through the people, a head taller than them, dragging me by the hand. He didn't feel overly warm to me, but everyone that he nudged turned around with wide eyes, and I knew that he would be a hundred and ten degrees.

**Jacob POV**

I had never seen Leah look so _pretty_ – so _girly_. She was wearing a pink dress that contrasted beautifully with her deeply tanned skin, and there were deep red flowers dotted upon it. She was wearing clean sandals, and her nails were painted a pearly pink; even her hair was styled, knotted on the back of her head in an elegant twist.

When I pulled her through the crowd in the theatre, I couldn't help but relish the feeling of her hand and the filthy looks people were shooting me. My mind was on Renesmee, back at the Cullens' house, but my senses were on Leah, and I was responding a little more than I had hoped to being with her – it was supposed to be a friendly outing, spending some time together, since our pack was less close than it had been during the battle. But still, it felt like a little more to me (and I had to be sure she wouldn't notice).

'So...' I said as we walked into the screen and took our seats. We seemed to, unnervingly, be surrounded by couples. 'How are you... at the minute?'

'We only saw each other earlier,' she said, raising her eyebrows.

'I know,' I said quickly, 'just... in general recently... I've been at the Cullens' so much that we haven't really talked much.'

'Yeah, you're like a _vampire_ now. You stink of them.'

I winced, grimacing, 'sorry. It's just, you know... Renesmee.'

'And Bella,' she reminded me, making me clench my jaw, because deep down I knew that it was true. I loved Renesmee, but I would never cease to love Bella, _never_. But I would let her be happy with Edward, I owed her that much.

'Fine,' I sighed, '_yes_, I like seeing Bella too.'

'Excuse me, _some_ of us are trying to watch the film!' A person hissed from behind us, and without bothering to turn around, I stuck my finger up at him over my shoulder. Leah giggled, and I grinned widely.

'That was fun,' Leah smiled when we had left the theatre.

'Yeah,' I agreed.

'Especially when you gave that guy the finger!'

'Well, it's not like he _owns_ the theatre, right?' I laughed, as we started off down the road together.

'Exactly,' she giggled, 'the film was good too.'

'Yeah, and the popcorn.'

'Yeah, that was the best bit!'

We stopped on the empty road a couple of streets from her house, were a fork led off to my own. 'Well, this is my stop,' I smiled awkwardly.

'Yeah... I'll... er, maybe see you later.'

I nodded, unsure of whether to hug her or not. She leaned in, and for a second I wanted to press my lips to hers, and, both acting on instinct, we kissed awkwardly. She jumped back, shaking her head. 'That did _not_ just happen!' She gaped, before turning and stumbling away, leaving me staring with wide eyes.

'Shit,' I groaned, slumping down the road to my house and kneading my forehead with my fingers.

**Leah POV**

I jumped violently when my phone rang, and scrambled across my bed covers to grab it. I heard my mom wake up next door, groaning slightly and climbing out of bed, and as I flipped open my phone I matched her sound. '_What_, Sam?'

'We've caught a scent.'

'Vampire?' I yawned – I had been reading, but about to go to bed.

'No.'

What, then?' I asked in surprise.

'Werewolf.'

'A new one?'

'More like a new _pack_.'

'_What_?' I stood up, finding a pair of very short denim shorts and tugging them on, balancing my phone between my ear and shoulder.

'A new pack of wolves around Forks,' Sam sounded worried for once.

'Well have you told the Cullens?' I demanded, pulling a white shirt over my head and putting on some old white flip-flop sandals.

'No, why?' He asked dumbly.

'Because the pack are probably here to _kill_ them!'

'Oh, right! Can you get over there to tell them? Or phone them at least?'

'Sorry, Sam, I don't have leeches on speed dial.'

'Then get _over_ there!'

'I only take orders from Jacob, Sam, you know that,' I said coolly – when would he get it into his thick head that I wasn't going back to his pack again.

'_Please_, Lee-Lee.'

'_FINE_!' I growled, stumbling out into the hall and jumping over the little balcony to the ground floor, running to the front door.

'Leah?'

'Mom?'

'Leah?'

'Sam?'

'_Sam_?'

'Mom?' I ended up so confused that I shut my phone and turned to my mom, who was standing upstairs and leaning over the indoor balcony.

'Leah, where are you going?'

'We've got a situation,' I sighed, 'nothing big – just routine,' I lied.

'Well... be careful,' she whispered.

'I will,' I smiled, 'Oi, Seth!' I added in a shout, 'get your furry butt down here will you!'

'What?' He mumbled sleepily, walking out of his bedroom and squinting down at me.

'You're friendly with the Cullens, right? Well, get round there and tell them they're in _big_ trouble – that there're more werewolves in town, and probably _killer_ werewolves.'

'And where are you going?' he yawned.

'I'm going to find Sam,' I said with clenched teeth, 'and then we're going to go find these new werewolves and get them _off_ our _patch_!'

'I thought you said it was just routine?' Mom said desperately, 'can't Seth go instead?'

'What, because he's a _guy_, mom? He's _younger_ than me! I'll be fine,' I turned and walked out of the front door, slamming it behind me and bursting into wolf form as I ran down the street.

Feeling instantly as though a sudden weight had been lifted off my shoulders, I ran freely and fast towards the forest, starting to hear the thoughts of Jacob in my mind. It would be easier to co-ordinate if I could hear Sam as well, but since I had become a member of Jacob's pack, I hadn't been able to hear the others; instead, I had to listen to everything that Sam said second hand through Jacob's mind (I guess Alphas get free call time even to other networks).

_Yo, Lee, _Jacob said, and I knew he'd be grinning. _Did we get you up_?

_No, _I answered coolly, _but tell Sam he's a git, and that I sent Seth instead_!

_He says fine, but that you should do what he says every once in-_

His thoughts were cut off as I felt something heavy strike me from the side, and I smashed to the ground with a sickening crack. Everything hurt as I rolled over, and looked up into the black eyes of a _huge_ blue-black wolf.

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	3. Chapter 3

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**(also, I'm having to use #'s to show line breaks, since fanfiction won't let me do ~ or * * * anymore, which means half my stories don't make sense anymore since those have been deleted. But oh well)**

Chapter 3

**Leah POV**

My instinct was to scream, but I ignored it, rolling over again though it sent pain through my body, and staggering to my paws. The wolf knocked me down in a second – I was half its size, had I really expected to stand a chance even if I _wasn't_ injured? So this was how I was going to die – kill by one of my own kind. Great. A vampire would've been better.

I remembered something Jacob had said long ago... "Life Sucks, Then You Die." That had kind of become my motto, but things were genuinely starting to look up. Turns out it was the calm before the storm, and I was going to die.

The wolf stepped over me, paws on either side, as I breathed heavily, choking slightly on the blood in my throat. I phased back, my human bones hurting like hell in comparison to as a werewolf. But as a human I was small enough to crawl between its paws and stagger away into the forest. Obviously, if it had wanted to catch me, it could have done – like I stood a chance running at this rate – but it seemed to have lost interest.

'You!' A voice shouted, and I turned to see a boy running through the forest. He was more of a _man_ really, but from being in a werewolf pack, I knew full well that appearances could be deceiving. He wasn't quite as dark skinned as the rest of us, but his hair was, if possible, even blacker, and was messily ruffled around his head. He was wearing black jeans cut off just below the knee, and was shirtless, showing a well-muscled but not obscene frame, with several jagged scars across it.

'Me,' I choked, 'you need... to get out of here!'

'You're the girl who got attacked by the wolf?' He called, sprinting over and catching me as my legs gave way. I nodded, wincing as I felt the ribs on my left side shift, where the wolf had hit me. 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry!' He gasped, 'I didn't know you were...' he didn't finish the sentence, pulling a shirt from a cord around his upper arm – it didn't look strange tied to him, the muscle was so _huge_. He unfolded it and wrapped it around my shoulders, before lifting me gently in both arms and heading forwards.

'LEAH!' Another voice shouted, and I blinked wearily, seeing Jacob's blurred outline.

'Jake...' I groaned, before passing out.

#

'Will it heal up alright?' I heard Jake's voice.

'I may have to re-break some of the bones in her arm,' that was the smooth voice of Carlisle Cullen, 'they've healed too quickly.'

'Re-break?' Seth – he sounded slightly ill.

'They set badly, what with the speed you guys heal. I'll just have to give the bone a little knock and splint it up so it can heal in the right place.'

''m awake...' I mumbled, but they didn't seem to hear me. 'I'm _awake_,' I repeated, louder, 'and I don't want my frickin' bones _re-broken_!'

'Leah,' Jacob was at my head in an instant, 'are you alright?'

'Do I look it?' I growled. 'Where is he? The one who saved me?' I groaned, suspecting that he had also been the one who had hurt me, but no one answered me, even Carlisle, whose vampire hearing would have heard, and who laughed softly as he tied an extremely tight bandage around my ankle.

'I _think_ you'll be fine,' he said with a sigh, 'most of the bones on this side have broken, and I'll give the arm a couple of days before I re-break the Radius_, _and the Humerus, by disjointing the HumeralCoronidFossa, and twisting the Spinator to offer better access to the upper Ulna, where I might have to re-adjoin the Humeral Lateral Epicondyle.'

I looked at him with wide eyes – it was as though he was speaking another language!

'I want to operate, though,' he added, and my eyes widened even more, 'on here,' his finger traced around my collar bone, exceedingly gentle and ice cold, 'which is the Clavicle, but it's the Acromion I'm more worried about.'

'In English?'

'I'm gonna break a couple of bones in your arm to even them out, and I'm a bit worried that the bone supporting your collar bone has been badly damaged, so I'm just going to operate and take a look at it.'

'Why do doctors even _bother_ speaking Latin, it would be much easier if they spoke English. The only thing worse than hearing it must be learning it.'

'Three hundred years of free time,' he smiled weakly.

I smiled back – for a vampire, Carlisle was alright.

#

**Jacob POV**

I was sitting outside on the front lawn of Leah's house when I first saw him.

He was walking calmly up to the door, though his jaw was clenched slightly, and the thought only computed in my mind when he reached the veranda. I was over in a shot, pushing him away and growling slightly.

'Who are you?' I snarled.

'Lucien,' he said, raising his eyebrows and holding out a hand even larger than Sam's.

'I think you misunderstood the question.'

'I'm the one who saved her,' he added coolly, trying to move past me.

'The one who _hurt_ her then – it's obvious! Gone to finish her off, eh?'

'How was I to know she was a _female_?' he hissed, 'there was another pack here, we couldn't take chances, what was I supposed to do?'

'Taken the time to find out!' I said icily. 'You broke all the bones on one half of her body!'

'Is she in there?' He seemed not to have heard me.

'She's _sleeping_. Where's the Alpha, I wanna speak with him.'

'You are speaking with him.'

'_YOU_,' I snorted, 'someone that reckless can't be the _Alpha_!'

'Wow, you Quileutes don't get out much, eh?' He grinned, and I was about to lunge at him when Jared and Quil caught me from behind, dragging me back and hissing, 'no, Jake, _no_!'

I saw why – Six figures had stepped out of the woods and were walking towards us, taking strong stances behind Lucien. They were all taller than our pack, and more heavily muscled, and slightly paler. Their hair was jet black, but tinted with different colours – the Alpha, Lucien had a dark-bluish undertone to his hair, while the one right beside him was more reddy. The latter sturck an impressive pose, much, _much_ taller than Lucien and with an axe hooked into his belt – Wow, Sam had never let us carry weapons, he said the wolf was all we needed, and I'd never even considered it in our pack.

'No need to get violent, lads,' Jared said nervously, pulling me back into the shadow of the veranda.

'We don't intend to,' Lucien said calmly, 'this is Pablo,' he nodded to the reddy tinted one, 'Stefano, Ferdinando, Giorgio, Sicilia and Arianna,' the last two were female, and my eyes widened as I looked at them – so Leah wasn't the only one.

'You're Italian-American,' I hadn't heard Embry come outside.

'From Chicago,' Lucien nodded.

'No vampires, no forests – figured we'd come check this place out,' Pablo added.

'So why are you werewolves, if there weren't any vampires where you came from?' Quil asked.

'Because, unlike you, we're _werewolves_, not _shape-shifters_,' there was no time for Stefano to continue, as Leah came outside on crutches, though Cullen was taking most of her weight. _Carlisle_, I muttered mentally, _his name is Carlisle_.

'There you are,' she growled weakly, and I went to help her, but froze at the expression on her face. Her eyes were fixed on Lucien's, and I knew, on instinct, that she was looking not just into his eye, but into his heart. Carlisle caught her as she stumbled backwards, and Lucien started forwards once more.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, sorry it's been a while! Here's the update, hope you like it! **

**I apologise if there are words missing, as my keyboard is being an ass and not typing, so i have to wait like five mins for each word to type and stuff, so just give me the benefit of the doubt!**

**Saw Eclipse today at an advanced screening, and can't BELIEVE I have to wait a week to see it again! Damn the UK!**

**IT WAS AMAZING! Hope you all liked it too, and all I can say is...Jesus those men are hot!**

**But anyway, back to the fanfiction::**

Chapter 4

**Leah POV**

'God I feel ill,' I groaned. I was back in bed again, Lucien sitting beside me, his fingers tracing a gently circle around my palm.

'I'm so sorry,' he murmured, 'I didn't mean to hurt you like this.'

'Yeah, well, the damage is... _done_,' I forced myself into a sitting position, wincing and picking up the mug of coffee from my bedside. 'I would've done the same to you if you hadn't have had the element of surprise,' I added, 'and if I was taller...and musclier... and generally bigger and stronger...'

'And more stupid,' Jacob muttered, clenching his jaw and narrowing his eyes. 'Hey Cullen, when you gonna operate?'

'His name's Carlisle,' I muttered, wishing I could have imprinted in a rather less ugly state. Lucien didn't seem to care – his eyes seemed to see past my body and straight into my heart.

'Since when are you on first name terms with vampires?' Jacob raised his eyebrows, sounding completely pissed off.

'Since _I_ grew up,' I rolled my eyes.

'Tonight, perhaps?' Carlisle had ignored me and Jacob's exchange, though I spotted a slight curve to his lips as he looked up from a piece of paper covered in tiny writing, and turned to me. 'I have _no_ idea whether anaesthetic works on werewolves.'

'I can deal.'

'Maybe,' a more obvious smile that time.

#

**Jacob POV**

'Nessie, stop bothering your mother,' I said quietly, as the twelve year old (physically) continued to badger Bella.

'Dad's doing it too!' she whined, and it was true – Edward was trying to convince her that the three of them going on holiday was a good idea. What, take Nessie out of school and away from _me_?

Edward shook his head, his bronze hair ruffling in a sickly way and sending his scent floating over to me. I breathed through my mouth, but I could taste it on the air – vampire scent would _never_ cease to disgust me. 'You look tense, Jake,' Seth commented, raising his eyebrows and chewing loudly on gum.

'Really?' I said sarcastically, 'I'm in vampire-land.'

'That hasn't bothered you for the last two years,' Seth said in confusion.

'No shit,' I said abruptly, standing and walking towards the door, 'I'll see you soon, Nessie, Bella. Edward,' I said the last name coolly. Screw that – I said them all coolly. Screw that too – I said them all icily.

#

**Leah POV.**

'Hey Lee,' Jake smiled, sitting down beside me and clearly enjoying the rare Lucien-free moment. 'How are you?'

'Operation over, bones all fixed,' I shrugged, not looking up from my Sudoku, 'everything's just _great_.'

'Doesn't sound it,' he said sceptically.

'Ya think?' I growled.

'What's wrong?' he asked, looking overly concerned and taking my fingers in his. He touched each nail, sliding his own off the tips.

I took a deep breath and sighed, closing my book and putting down my pencil. I freed my other hand and slowly lifted it to his neck, cupping the back and stroking his skin gently. My other hand soon followed it, and I drew him forwards, pulling his head over my shoulder and moving my hands to his hair. 'I don't want to lose you,' I murmured, 'you've helped me through times harder than you understand.'

'I know,' he wrapped his arms around me, and I didn't wince, though my mending bones shifted ominously. 'You aren't going to lose me, though,' he added, 'I'll be here as long as you need someone to talk to.'

'Yeah right,' I muttered darkly, 'you and Lucien have some sort of issue right now, and it seems like you're going to disappear.'

'I'll disappear the day you tell me to,' he smiled, 'actually I won't. _I'm_ the Alpha, I leave when _I_ want to leave.' His grin made me relax and laugh, as I slowly leaned back against the pillows and held onto his hand.

'Just don't,' I rolled my eyes, letting him move the pillows so that I was lying flat again, and I closed my eyes, squeezing his hand. 'Jake?'

'Yeah?' I looked up and saw that he was just opening his eyes, as though he'd been snoozing already.

'I love Lucien, but I _need_ you more. You under – underst...' I yawned widely and closed my eyes again. I started to settle into a steady breathing pattern, and Jake's hand became limp in mine.

'Right, Miss Clearwater, I - '

'Sh!' I heard Carlisle enter the room without properly waking up, and Jake became suddenly alert again.

'She needs to take these,' the rattling of pills in a glass bottle.

'I'll give them to her when she wakes up,' his hand slid out of mine, and I opened my eyes, unable to resist. 'Speak of the devil and so _she_ shall appear,' Jake grinned, and I turned to Carlisle.

'When am I allowed to walk around again and stuff?'

'As soon as you want,' he answered, surprising me, 'I have a century or three of experience as a doctor,' he assured Jake, who looked sceptical. 'She's fine.'

'Great,' I forced myself upwards and swung my legs around, ignoring the stabbing pains in my side. 'Don't look so _worried_, Jake, Carlisle's _right_, I'm fine.'

Carlisle's lips turned up and lit the already handsome face, 'told you, Jacob.'

'No need to get _too_ friendly, Cullen,' Jake replied coolly.

'I'll see you later,' he opened the door, 'and don't forget those pills.'

'Thanks for everything, Carlisle!' I called after him, although he would, of course, have heard me if I had whispered.

'When does Lucien get back?' Jake asked after he had gone, helping me to my feet reluctantly. 'And I really don't think you should be up yet.'

'Way later,' I said, ignoring his second comment, 'him and the others are looking around for a place to stay, since you lot won't have them here; which I think is very unfair by the way! I mean, all of your imprintees are allowed to hang around here, not that Renesmee _does_, since she's vampire spawn, but the theory is still - '

'Please stop talking,' Jake smiled, stroking the back of his finger along my cheek.

'Why?' I narrowed my eyes, and stepped closer to him, putting my hand on his waist and tracing my thumb along the groove of his muscles, 'can't you face the truth?'

'You just look prettier when you smile,' he grinned a one-sided grin and wrapped his arms around my waist, so that we were very close. 'You should be having these,' he drew up the bottle between our bodies and shook it gently.

'Love's my drug,' I winked, before pulling a face and letting him pop two pills in my mouth. I swallowed loudly and laced my fingers through his hair. 'Good enough for you?'

'I suppose,' he mocked. His eyes met mine, and I looked at their sparkling dark brown as he brought his lips against my own.

The kiss was nothing like our first – it was perfect, as though we'd been made to fit together. I could taste spearmint on his breath, and his tongue traced my bottom lip. I pushed closer to him so that our bodies seemed to grind together, and his hands buried themselves in my hair. He pulled his lips back and inhaled deeply, brushing his nose against my hair and kissing me again.

I pressed against his naked chest, my fingers stroking the solid muscle and absorbing his warmth. 'I love you, Jake,' I whispered, admitting it to myself at the same time.

'Emily told me to come tell you there's dinner,' an icy voice said from the doorway.

'Lucien!' I flinched away from Jake, but he wouldn't look at me, his whole body shaking. 'Lucien, it's not – not what you think! I - '

'Leah, why don't you go see Emily and get something to eat? I've just got a couple of things to deal with here.'

The idea of Lucien getting hurt tore me apart more than the thought of Jake – not least because I felt as though Lucien and I were combined... as though if he hurt I hurt. But I didn't love him how I loved Jake. Lucien would be my best friend, the best friend anyone could hope for, but I didn't want him to hold me the way Jake did, I didn't want to grind my body against his and be in perfect rhythm...

'Jake, c'mon,' I took care to grab his arm rather than his hand, 'you should leave.'

'Ordering me out of the house now?'

'You don't have to leave,' Lucien said with a deathly glare, and I started to panic.

'Leah!' Seth sprinted into the room and grabbed me, pushing me out of the way as Lucien phased, and Jacob stumbled back before doing the same.

**Hope you liked it! Now PLEASE review...it'll only take a minute and it makes my day!**

**Remember to SHINExxx**


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